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Games for Kids Ages 1-3

Games for kids ages one to three can be a lot of fun for the children while helping them to develop skills that they will use throughout their life. Hand-eye coordination, independence, counting, and good sportsmanship are all skills that can be taught through the simplest of games starting at as young as a year old. Once played, many of these games will become favorites, being played again and again.

Pat-a-Cake
- Pat-a-Cake is perhaps one of the oldest and most classic games but it still a great one to teach to your toddler. Pat-a-Cake is the classic game of clapping your hands together and with a partner to the rhythm of the song. This seemingly simple game will teach your one to three year old how to clap, how to clap to a rhythm, and even help develop their hand-eye coordination. If Pat-a-Cake seems like a little bit too much, clap their hands for them and sing your own song or say their name in a sing-song voice. This is a game that is sure to make them smile.
Tea Party
- A tea party is always a good time and can be done indoors or outdoors. Buy a child's tea set and fill it with water or even their favorite juice. Allow for your child to attempt to fill the cups with "tea" and pretend to add sugar and stir. The game will help support a strong imagination while building hand-eye coordination while pouring and stirring. If your child is still too young to pour, allow him or her to stir. Consider serving cakes or cookies at the tea party, allowing your child to feed his or herself.
Hide and Seek
- Hide and seek is an entertaining game for children to play with their parents and other children. The game requires one person to be the seeker and one or more people to hide. The seeker will hide their eyes and count to a designated number, usually 10 is appropriate for children up to age three, while the others hide. The seeker yells out, "Ready or not here I come!" to let the players know he or she is coming to look for them. At this time children can continue to hide or try to get to "base," which is where the seeker counted from, without being tagged. When the seeker finds someone hiding or tags someone on their way to base, they switch positions and the counting and hiding begins again. If the seeker does not find or tag anyone who is on their way to base, the seeker can either be the seeker again or choose someone to be "it" next.

Kids Games